I ate a fresh strawberry today. Of course it isn’t strawberry season in this
part of the world so I enjoyed every bite.
We have to wait until June for strawberry bounty but the added warmth of
the greenhouse made these tastes possible.
Even with that added care I’ve had to wait for harvest; I’ve watched
those strawberries for months. I watched the plants bloom, then the petals fell off; soon
little green berries started growing larger, and finally I watched the traces
of pink increase.
This time of year I’m hungry for spring and I think about planting,
the miracle of growth, and waiting. As I
encourage people to practice skills that foster healthy communication and
relationships I also think about how far a little patience with each other can
go, in the midst of conflict or otherwise.
Maybe comfortable family relationships, friendships, and good coworker
interactions are kind of like planting a seed and waiting for growth.
Growing things takes time and the life within a seed and the
emergence of a plant is nothing short of miraculous. Of course there are things you can do to help
the process. It all begins with preparing
the soil and planting the seed. Then you
can make sure the plants have the nutrients they need, you can water them, and you
can plant them in a place with the appropriate amount of sunlight. But you have to wait to harvest. And even then you aren’t entitled to one
because we aren’t capable of making the harvest. We cannot create health in relationships just
as we cannot create growth in plants.
Growth and health in relationships are gifts just as much as the new
buds of spring.
As we see signs of spring all around us, look for the new
green shoots of friendship. Celebrate the buds of new growth in old
relationships. Look for, and wait for,
the possibility of healthy growth in relationships that have been painful. Definitely take time to nurture and care for
your relationships with the people around you.
Then have a little patience and remember; growth is a gift and a miracle
too.
